"I was so scared of ever being alone, and I think, conquering that fear, this year, was actually bigger than any other transition that I had, this entire year," Miley tells Barbara, as quoted by ABC News. "I don't ever want to have to need someone again, where you feel like, without them, you can't be yourself."

The 21-year-old star continues, "I don't think I realized what 19 truly is, and I got engaged at 19, and I definitely wouldn't change being engaged. It was so fun wearing a fat rock (diamond ring) for a few years. But now, I just feel like I can actually be happy. I wait for those moments of silence, when I'm just at my house, by myself." In the interview, the veteran host also asks if Miley wants to get married. "I think I'll want that in the times that it needs to be," she answers.

Miley and Liam met on the set of movie "The Last Song" in 2009. After getting engaged three years later, the couple announced their split in September 2013. Barbara's full interview with Miley will air on Wednesday, December 18 at 9:30 P.M. ET.